Assuming we’ve taken the time to establish a relational foundation, the most effective way we can integrate humility into the structure is by continuously investing in the framework. In most cases, the idea of investments ties to finances. For a long-lasting framework that truly leverages leadership...
From the beginning of this look at leveraging leadership growth, we’ve worked through simple things we can each take action on to become more effective through the great professional relationships we likely already have in place. I’ll stress once more: there’s no such thing as a self-made leader. I’...
As we worked through steps for how developing others serves as a path to leadership, I shared how a reluctance to pass along knowledge, often out of a misplaced fear that it could diminish our own value, prevents us from providing a successor (or even a direct report) with all the guidance we possib...
In a Facebook post dated August 1, 2025, Mark Divine, author of Staring Down the Wolf, shared the following:
Leadership is not a title.
It’s a burden of responsibility.
When you step into leadership, you’re saying:
- “I will go first.”
- “I will own the results—good or bad.”
- “I will make the h...
For most of the last fifteen years I worked in manufacturing, I had interaction with each group of new team members on their first day of orientation. When I moved into a full time human resources role, I was responsible for covering the key points in the company policy manual, detailing the attenda...
I’ve stressed over and over through this process that I’ve never felt like I was overly talented in any given area. Before I move on, I need to stress that I’m not sharing that - yet again - to diminish the value I know I’m capable of adding today; I need you to understand that every step we’ve work...
Over the last twenty-five years, Cindy and I have been extremely focused on building a knowledge network that would help us compensate for our leadership limits. Recognizing who knew what we didn’t know was the first step. Being willing to invest whatever we could, even if that was only our time, in...
I’ve mentioned barely graduating high school several times to this point. I also shared that neither Cindy or I had graduated college when we started our leadership journey (and still haven’t). While my less than stellar performance in high school was more a factor of me being bored, our lack of col...
Equipped with only a high school diploma, and having slept through far too many of my classes leading up to receiving that, I had no shortage of gaps to acknowledge - even if my ego was standing in the way early on (and maybe a little still today). Identifying the key experts I could learn from as I...
As I closed our look at Knowing Your Worth by sharing a few steps for crafting a lasting influence, I mentioned how something as silly as a complimentary email series (known today as A Daily Dose Of Leadership) that was initially meant to help our new business stay top-of-mind with the executives an...
When we’re intentional about building each of those steps into sustaining the relationships we build with our mentors, the long-term return will compound - in our lives, in the organizations we’re part of, and in ways we likely won’t see for years to come. Terry, Rod, and Kevin have all actively men...
One common thread with each of the amazing mentors I’ve interacted with to this point in my life has been that all of them have juggled incredibly busy schedules. I’m always amazed at how they’re all willing to block time to provide mentorship insight routinely - especially when they’ve seen their p...
